More than a century ago, the Klamath River was home to the third largest run of Chinook salmon in the continental United States. These seasonal runs of fish historically numbered in the hundreds of thousands. But today, more than 100 years after the first dam went up on the Klamath, those runs that once seemed inexhaustible are almost gone. Last year, fewer than 700 chinook salmon returned to the Klamath. Just two years prior, dismal returns forced officials to close salmon fishing season entirely.

Hardy has revamped its entire rod lineup for 2020, replacing nearly everything they offered in 2019. Among the most anticipated new offerings is the Hardy Ultralite LL rod. This is the same rod that Hardy’s head designer Howard Croston used to win the 2020 FIPS World Championship. Euro-nymphing is the name of the game in the World Championships, and that’s exactly what the Ultralite LL was designed for. It’s an outrageously light, sensitive stick built to handle fish big and small.